22 Political Parties Commit to Non-Violent Elections

Members of political parties pledge to support free and non-violent elections

The National Elections Commission’s (NEC) Inter-Party Consultative Committee, comprising 22 registered political parties, has pledged to support free, fair and non-violent elections in Liberia.

The parties presented their resolution to the NEC, United Nations Missions in Liberia (UNMIL), and other partners.

NEC Chairman Cllr. Jerome Korkoya, during remarks yesterday after the presentation, described it as a remarkable development and appealed to political party leaders and their standard bearers to continue their commitment to peaceful elections.

He said women’s political participation is encouraging and urged women to preach peace in all their electioneering in the country.

“Elections are not only fighting for political office but the best way we can guarantee that they are free, fair and transparent because it’s everybody’s business,” Cllr. Korkoya said.

He assured the political parties and the international community that NEC will remain ethical and transparent during the elections in October.

The parties that committed to peaceful elections included Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), All Liberian Coalition Party, (ALCOP), National Patriotic Party (NPP), United People’s Party (UPP), Vision Of Liberia Transformation (VOLT), True Whig Party (TWP), Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR), Alternative National Congress (ANC), All Liberian Party (ALP), Movement for Economic Empowerment (MOVEE), Unity Party (UP), among others.

Meanwhile, African Union Representative Mr. Prosper Addo commended the political parties for their great work at the Inter-Party Consultative Committee (IPCC) and for coming up with a resolution that sets the base to support free and fair elections in the country.

He described their effort as very instrumental, especially since it is meant to maintain the peace Liberians are enjoying today.

“Peace is non-negotiable and at the same time violence is not an option, so we must reconcile and work together to ensure that peace reigns even before and after elections,” Mr. Addo said.

For his part, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Head of UNMIL, Farid Zarif, told the political parties’ representatives that their commitment to continue to dialogue must persevere.

He called on them to make use of the adequate space that is given them. “We need a transparent, free and fair election and everybody should raise the issue of peace.”

It may be recalled that on September 21-23, 2016 Liberian political parties met at an Inter-Party Consultative Committee meeting in Ganta and agreed on a strategy to ensure peaceful and credible elections in October 2017.

At the end of the meeting, they issued a resolution to pursue a common goal with a strong commitment to ensuring inclusive, transparent and credible elections.

The Ganta Declaration was supported by the NEC and United Nations Development Program’s election project with funding from the European Union and Sweden in cooperation with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) that receives financing from USAID.

3 COMMENTS

Franklin D. Roosevelt one said, “It’s a terrible thing to look over your shoulder when you are trying to lead—and find no one there.”

With the age of modern technology, we have yet to see debates or read on the internet any of these political parties’ platforms. Where are the political parties’ websites to inform the general public on what they really want to do for Liberia? There are too many political party defections (party-hopping), accusations, counter-accusations, and innuendoes going on in Liberia.

The true test of leadership is not through creating dependency by giving hand-outs just for the sake of political expediency to win an election. Neither, the true test of leadership is to verbally attack your opponents which lead to greater polarization. Great leaders never set themselves above their followers. These political candidates should tell us how they are going to solve Liberia’s daunting domestic and foreign problems: Here are few listed below:

1. How to revitalize our failed health care and education system (how to attract foreign doctors and educators to supplement the shortage of doctors and teachers)
2. How to Guarantee free primary and secondary public education for all Liberians
3. How to Create more technical high school and technical colleges to meet employment demands
4. How to Open Liberia market to attract foreign and domestic investors
5. How to Create jobs and development in the rural area to reduce overpopulation in Monrovia
6. How to implement policies to increase agriculture production for consumption and export
7. How to Create passenger rail system from east to west and north to south (in partnership with the Chinese: (like the Chinese did in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Kenya)
8. How to Reduce the over-reliance on extractive industries and develop a strong trade-oriented market economy (study the Economy of Singapore )
9. How to Harness our rivers for hydropower and waterways for international shipping routes
10. How to Control the influx of fake pharmaceutical drugs and narcotics coming into Liberia
11. How to Make all government scholarship recipients to give back two years national service
12. How to Develop corruption fighting policies for all government employees
13. How to Create Decent pay for military, police, teachers and medical personnel
14. How to confront epidemic like Ebola, environmental disaster, and illegal border crossing
15. How to Increase Cooperation with neighboring countries and foreign partners
16. How to Protect our women and children from sexual exploitation
17. How to Teach Liberian culture, Liberian history and ethical values in our primary schools
18. How to Find Solutions to deal with homelessness and unemployment
19. How to Develop mechanism in solving the unending land disputes: both customary and legal
20. How to Decentralize county governments by making them more autonomous
21. How to advocate for constitutional revision: remove outdated constitution racist clause……Liberian citizenship for people of negro descent only. Too many people of different race were born in Liberia but were denied Liberian citizenship.
22. How to foster Debate on Dual Citizenship and the Reduction of Presidential, and Lawmakers term limits.
23. How to strengthen our weak monetary system.

These are few critical issues our many “want-to-be president” should be debating instead of sowing seeds of division, or giving hand-outs to poor Liberians just to win an election. In as much as we pray for a peaceful election, pretty soon, many of these “political party-hoppers” will find no one to vote for them.

What about how to provide basic living necessities to all Liberians such water, electricity, and provide decent
education. Also provide the best leadership to lead the nation.
One very important issues our nation has to tackle drastically is to eradicate corruptions in all levels of our government. PRAY FOR LIBERIA.

No! Joseph Boakai, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and their Unity Party do not care about the living standard or wellbeing of the masses who are the majority! What they care about is THEMSELVES!!! And now the very Joseph Boakai is asking the very masses to allow him and his very USELESS UNITY PARTY TO STAY IN POWER FOR 24 YEARS….A QUÀRTER OF A CENTURY,

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